Uttarakhand Police on Thursday filed the country's first chargesheet under the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in a case pertaining to alleged 'triple talaq' and 'halala'.
This marks the first major enforcement of UCC provisions regarding marriage and remarriage since its implementation in the state.
Police in Haridwar district submitted the chargesheet in a local court against nine persons following a complaint of dowry harassment and marital torture.
The woman, in her complaint, alleged that her husband Danish and six relatives subjected her to physical assault and mental torture for dowry following their marriage two-and-a-half years ago.
She further alleged that her husband ended their marriage by 'triple talaq'.
Subsequently, the accused allegedly pressured her to undergo 'Nikah Halala' -- forcing her to marry and consummate marriage with another man -- as a condition for him to accept her back into the matrimonial home.
The case was initially registered at Buggawala police station on April 4. The police first invoked sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, citing technical delays in the CCTNS (Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems) portal for UCC integration.
The initial omission of UCC sections sparked legal controversy, as the code was implemented in the state in 2025.
"UCC sections 32(2)(1) and 32(1)(3) were added following the investigation," Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Bhullar said.
The SSP said the chargesheet names nine persons involved in the alleged harassment, dowry demands and the illegal divorce, and the same has been submitted for judicial proceedings.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
